The oil and gas industry has seen rapid growth in recent years, primarily due to new technologies such as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as well as continued expansion in deepwater drilling. Though most investors turn to Big Oil companies like ExxonMobil, there is another corner of this industry that offers unique exposure to the industry: oil field services. In this piece, we highlight the biggest name in this sub industry – Halliburton Company (HAL) [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

2013′s fourth quarter earnings season saw companies across all sectors reporting both hits and misses. Alcoa set the tone for the commodity space, reporting a fourth quarter net loss of $2.3 billion and missed analysts’ EPS estimates. While other commodity stocks also managed to post better-than-expected results, some showed signs of weakness from 2013′s commodity slump. Overall, most companies managed to post better-than-expected earnings during the fourth quarter as compared to the third [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

The bears finally got their way in 2014. Rampant selling pressures have rattled investors’ confidence on Wall Street amid sluggish data releases on both sides of the Atlantic, coupled with fiscal and political instability in emerging markets, which has raised worries over the possibility of contagion. With earnings season still well underway at home, major equity indexes have paved a rocky start to 2014, prompting bearish pundits to cite the coveted January barometer as an omen of more downside to come [for more commodity futures news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

With Alcoa (AA) kicking off earnings season last week, investors will spend the next little while combing through quarterly statements from their favorite commodity firms. Alcoa reported a fourth quarter net loss of $2.3 billion and missed analysts’ EPS estimates. Agribusiness giant Monsanto Company (MON), however, managed to beat the Street’s estimates, posting an 8.6% increase in quarterly profits [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Uncertainty may have been a central theme on Wall Street all year, but when all was said and done, it was undeniable that the bulls prevailed on the equity front. Bears, however, ripped through commodity markets across the board. With taper fears now in the history books and a federal budget deal on the table, it’s no wonder that many are anticipating for the stock market bull to continue its run higher into 2014 [for more commodity futures news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

2013′s third quarter earnings season was perhaps not what many analysts had expected, as companies across all sectors reported both hits and misses. In the commodity space, Alcoa had set the tone for the start of the season, beating earnings and revenue estimates and posting a profit of $24 million. And while other commodity stocks also managed to post better-than-expected results, some showed signs of weakness from this year’s commodity slump [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

As we make our way into the last quarter of the year, the eyes of investors and analysts turn to the performance of the most recent quarter. Q3 earnings season is upon us and has opened up with gloomy expectations, as many companies have already lowered guidance ahead of their reports. Below, we detail the most significant commodity firms that will release earnings this week [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter]:

2013′s second quarter earnings season was perhaps not what many analysts had expected, as companies across all sectors reported both hits and misses. In the commodity space, Alcoa had set the tone for the start of the season, beating estimates despite falling aluminum prices. And while other commodity stocks also managed to post better-than-expected results, some showed signs of weakness from this year’s commodity slump [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

As we enter the trenches of earnings season, investors and analysts alike are taking cues from today’s leading companies on where the economy is headed. Thus far, it seems that the results have been a mixed bag, with a number of firms smashing their marks while others fell short. The attention for this week will remain fixated on individual reports to help give a deeper insight into how sustainable to current bull run truly is. Below, we outline some of the most prominent commodity firms slated to report earnings this week [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

First developed in 1947, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) remained an unheard-of tactic for extraction until it was used in the Barnett Shale Basin in 1998. The process works by pumping fracturing fluids–like slickwater, gel or foam–into a wellbore at a sufficient enough rate to fracture the rocks below. When these fractures occur, the operator injects proppants into the well to prevent the fractures from closing when the fluid pressure is reduced. And finally, oil and gas leaks from the fractures into the well for extraction. This overnight success has investors looking for the best ways to play the newly abundant natural resource market [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].